The news

Interview with Czech rock climber Adam Ondra who has made the first onsight of Il Maratoneta, the first 8b+ in Croatia freed by Maurizio 'Manolo' Zanolla in 1987 and at the time one of the hardest climbs in the world. Furthermore, he has made the first ascent of Genius Loci...

Seven years ago Tito Traversa perished in a climbing accident. The void left behind by this great climber, aged a mere twelve, continues to be enormous.

Interview with Alessandro Zeni who on 11/01/2020 at Saint Loup in Switzerland made the first ascent of Cryptography, a combination of the routes Bain de Sang and Bimbaluna. With its suggested grade of 9b it checks in as one of the most difficult slabs in the world.

30 years today: on 24 October 1989, Polish mountaineer Jerzy Kukuczka died while attempting Lhotse. Kukuczka was the second man to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders after Reinhold Messner and an absolute legend of high altitude Himalayan mountaineering.

On 24 August 2018 American climber Tom Frost died aged 81. Frost was one of the pioneering climbers and photographers during the Golden Age of Yosemite climbing.

This morning American climbers Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell set another speed record on The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite. This time the duo broke the legendary 2-hour barrier, climbing the big wall route in 1:58:07.

Interview with Polish climber Marek Raganowicz after his solo first ascents of MantraMandala (A3) and Secret of Silence (A4), two difficult big wall climb up the Ship's Prow on Scott Island, Baffin Island, Canada.

Interview with Czech climber Adam Ondra who at Flatanger in Norway is currently attempting a route he believes might merit a 9c grade, meaning it would be the hardest sport climb in the world.

Austrian climber Anna Stöhr has sent two extremely difficult boulder problems on the same day, New Base Line 8B+ and Steppenwolf 8B at Magic Wood, Switzerland.

The latest sport climbing news concerning not only Adam Ondra, who at San Rocchino close to Camaiore in Italy made the first ascent of Naturalmente 9a+, but also Klemen Bečan, Felipe Camargo, Sasha Di Giulian, Matty Hong, Anna Liina Laitinen, Alexander Megos, Silvio Reffo, Angelina Scarth-Johnson, Laura Rogora, Jonathan Siegrist,...

Timeless mountaineering: aged 74 Peter Habeler, one of the world’s greatest mountaineers who in 1978 made the first ascent of Everest without supplementary oxygen together with Reinhold Messner, has now climbed the North Face of the Eiger once again. In 1974 Habeler had climbed the mountain in record time with...

On 14 March 2017 American rock climbing pioneer Royal Robbins passed away. Aged 82, Robbins was one of the best American climbers during the ’60’s and ’70’s, the period known in "Golden Age"" of Yosemite Valley climbing. Robbins was a pioneer and advocate of clean climbing, i.e. without pegs and...

On 30/01/2017 Italian climber Stefano Ghisolfi repeated 'First Round First Minute', the famous 9b sports route at Margalef, Spain. Freed in 2011 by America’s Chris Sharma, so far the line had only been repeated by Adam Ondra from the Czech Republic and Alexander Megos from Germany

Interview with Czech rock climber Adam Ondra who, leading all pitches from 14 to 21 November 2016, completed the second free ascent of Dawn Wall on El Capitan, Yosemite. Considered the hardest big wall in the world, this climb was freed by Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson between 2014 and...

Adam Ondra from the Czech Republic, climbing together with Pavel Blažek, has completed the second free ascent of Dawn Wall on El Capitan in Yosemite. Considered the hardest big wall in the world, this climb was freed by Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson between 2014 and 2015.

Action Directe was established by Wolfgang Güllich on 14 September 1991 at Waldkopf in Germany's Frankenjura. The route set new new standards in sport climbing and now, precisely twenty-five years after the first ascent, Planetmountain.com takes a step back in time to discover more about one of the most famous...